About Us
Iliana Farnot Brown , The Founder of Phoenix Journey.com, Georgia Marlett and Empress Ilia is a former political refugee from Cuba after the failed Invasion of the Bay of Pigs-Who as a young girl survived and witnessed the storming of her paternal grandmother’s house by armed guerrillas ands government officials.
Iliana lived through two revolutions before the age of 10, she and her younger siblings were sent away by their parents to lived with a foster family in Miami, Florida. They were reunited with their parents some time later. After this reunion the family -much to their dismay were- sent to the desert in southern California in June! They all exclaimed in unison,”Que Calor’, which means “Wow, it’s hot!!” upon alighting from the their car.
As a teenager and as the “Miss” of her city she worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce as an “Ambassador” to the Coachella Valley. She was part of a program chaired by Chuck Connors that welcome visitors, and facilitated sign ups at Celebrity tournament ( such Bob Hope Classic, Chuck Connors Invitational, Dinah Shore Tennis ) . She appeared in several TV talk shows to promote the Date Festival in which she was a Princess. She and and the Date Festival Court were featured in the dating game to promote the Festival. During this time Iliana was also hired to do several radio advertisement for local businesses and appeared on many commercials and radio spots.
While atteding a local College, Iliana, was the buyer for and co- managed ( with her sister) a clothing boutique owned by her father.
Iliana has lived in California most of her life-with a 20 month stay in the south American countries of Uruguay and Paraguay, where she did volunteer missionary work, taught English, and she aided and taught, hygiene, nutrition and personal care to the very poor in the jungles of Paraguay-and a 3 year stay in Utah.
Iliana has been using alternative medicine for the over 30 years. She has extensive knowledge of herbs, vitamins and other nutritional supplements. She has credentials in Holistic Healing and is a Certified Nutritional Consultant-and is continually researching and keeping informed. Some of her friends lovingly call her Dr. I.
Iliana worked in different capacities for a School District for over ten years. She assisted and taught children reading, language arts, and worked as a Bilingual Coordinator. This included working with dislexic and at risk children in reading. She was part of aone on one “Teaching Recovery” program for at risk first graders. She partnered with the School District and home taught two of her children-who transitioned into the School District in advanced classes. She has tutored privately and has done extensive language instruction to her three children and her nieces and nephews.
She has been published in News Papers and a has done extensive writing in different websites.
She is an interpreter/translator and has done extensive live interpreting for large organizations, large groups, and School District meetings and conferences-she has been a professional written translator for over 30 years.
Most dear to Iliana’s heart is helping the needy and poor-she has not only been actively involved in many can drives but has organized and carried out her own. She has organized food and clothes drives, collected the items from people, sorted them with he help of her children, organized and involved children in fruit picking-and she personally delivered the items. She, also, collected used clothes, shoes and bedding which she took to the poor that she had identified and befriended in Baja, Mexico. In addition part of the Holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) in her home was to follow her father’s tradition of taking food items and a Turkey to the Rescue Mission in Indio, Cailornia. Later she included Martha’s Kitchen ( Catholic Charity). She fervently believes the following words ” Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me….For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:… Naked, and ye clothed me… Matt. 35:34,35.36
Iliana currently resides in Idaho with her husband, David, her Yorkie, Rigby and her neurotic cat Chloe. She keeps busy traveling, writing and managing her websites- In her spare time she enjoys gardening, cooking and keeping up with her precious grand children.
